How Much Does Landscape Design Cost?
Landscape design is a professional fee: $300 to $800 for a planting plan, $700 to $3,700 for a mid-size property, and $3,700 to $11,000 or more for a full-property master plan, or $70 to $150 an hour. Installation is quoted separately at $2,000 to $40,000 or more.
What Does Landscape Design Cost?
Professional landscape design is a professional fee for the site visit, the plan, and the drawings, and it costs $300 to $11,000 or more. A planting or single-bed plan runs $300 to $800, a mid-size property plan runs $700 to $3,700, and a full-property master plan runs $3,700 to $11,000 or more. Designers who bill by the hour charge $70 to $150, and some take 5 to 15 percent of construction cost instead of a flat fee. Building the plan is a separate purchase, quoted on its own at $2,000 to $40,000 or more depending on how much planting and hardscape it includes.
Design Plan Only: $300 to $11,000 or More
A professional design plan covers assessment of the property, design drawings, plant selection and schedules, and installation guidance — but not the installation itself. Where you land in the range depends on the designer’s credentials, the size and complexity of the site, and how detailed the plan is. A simple consultation and sketch plan sits at the low end; a detailed plan from a licensed landscape architect, who bills $70 to $150 per hour and $150 to $250 at established high-end firms, sits at the high end. A conceptual sketch from a design-build company may be folded into the overall project quote instead of billed separately, and many design-build firms credit part or all of the design fee toward the installation if they also build the plan, so ask whether yours does before you pay. (For more on this, see How to Plan a Backyard Landscape.)
Planting and Installation, Quoted Separately: $2,000 to $15,000
This is the cost of building the plan, not of drawing it. Soft landscape installation — trees, shrubs, perennials, sod or seed, mulching, and edging — runs $2,000 to $15,000, including soil preparation, planting, and initial mulch. A front-of-house foundation planting refresh runs $2,000 to $5,000. A comprehensive backyard plan with privacy screening, perennial beds, and lawn restoration runs $5,000 to $15,000. The number and size of plants, the soil prep required, the lawn installation type, and site access all move the number within that band.
Full Landscape With Hardscape, Installed: $15,000 to $40,000 or More
Hardscape is what pushes a project into the top tier, because it involves significant materials and skilled labor.
| Cost Factor | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paver patio | $3,000 to $15,000 | Materials and skilled labor account for most of the cost. |
| Retaining wall | $2,000 to $10,000 | Structural walls on sloped sites sit at the high end. |
| Outdoor kitchen | $5,000 to $30,000 | Premium materials and extensive coverage push toward the top. |
Cost figures on this page were checked against published pricing on August 25, 2026. How we source cost data.
Combining soft and hard elements on a typical residential property lands at $15,000 to $40,000 to build. High-end projects with premium materials and extensive coverage can exceed $100,000. The design fee on a build that size is quoted on its own, or as 5 to 15 percent of the construction cost.
Landscape Design Cost at a Glance
| Scope | Cost |
|---|---|
| Planting or single-bed plan | $300 to $800 |
| Mid-size property plan | $700 to $3,700 |
| Full-property master plan | $3,700 to $11,000+ |
| Designer or landscape architect, hourly | $70 to $150 ($150 to $250 high-end) |
| Percentage of construction cost | 5% to 15% |
| Design fee, overall range | $300 to $11,000+ |
| Installation, quoted separately | $2,000 to $40,000+ |
| Front foundation planting refresh, installed | $2,000 to $5,000 |
| Comprehensive backyard planting, installed | $5,000 to $15,000 |
| Retaining wall, installed | $2,000 to $10,000 |
| Paver patio, installed | $3,000 to $15,000 |
| Outdoor kitchen, installed | $5,000 to $30,000 |
| Full landscape with hardscape, installed | $15,000 to $40,000+ |
What Else Affects the Cost
Site conditions come first: slopes, drainage problems, poor soil, and difficult access all add cost before a single plant goes in. Existing conditions matter too, since removing old plantings, trees, or hardscape is work that precedes the new installation. Plant selection can swing a budget on its own — specimen-sized plants, rare varieties, and mature trees cost far more than standard nursery stock. And local rates vary meaningfully, because both design and installation labor are priced by market.
The wide overall range is not vague pricing; it reflects genuinely different projects. At the low end is a consultation plus a modest planting refresh that improves what is already there. At the high end is grading, drainage correction, structural hardscape, comprehensive planting, irrigation, and lighting, designed and installed as one coordinated system. A homeowner who wants an attractive, low-maintenance front yard can get there for a few thousand dollars with a focused planting plan and quality installation. A homeowner who wants a full outdoor living environment with entertaining space, privacy plantings, water features, and lighting should be thinking in the $20,000-plus range to build, with the design fee quoted on top of that. EPA WaterSense recommends about one inch of water a week, avoiding midday watering, and weather-based controllers to cut waste.
Start With a Design Plan
Whatever the eventual scope, paying for a plan before installation is one of the highest-return steps in the process. A design plan — $300 to $800 for a single bed, $700 to $3,700 for most properties — produces accurate material estimates, lets multiple contractors bid the same defined scope, prevents expensive planting mistakes, and creates a phasing roadmap if you want to spread the work across several seasons. Savings from competitive bidding on a defined plan routinely recover the design fee.
Phasing is also the most practical way to control the budget: buy the plan, install in stages, and handle the soft elements such as planting and mulching yourself if you have the time. Prioritizing professional installation for high-visibility areas — the front entry, the patio surround — while doing lower-visibility areas yourself keeps the money where it shows.
Getting an Accurate Quote
Contact two or three design-build landscape companies in your area. Provide photos and dimensions of the project area and describe what you want the space to do. Most companies provide a free initial site visit and a preliminary quote; independent landscape architects charge for their time from the first meeting, typically $70 to $150 per hour for consultation, and $150 to $250 at established high-end firms. On complex projects, a paid design consultation is worth it because the resulting plan makes installation quotes far more accurate and genuinely comparable between companies. (For more on this, see What Affects the Cost of Landscape Design?.)
Bring a licensed landscape architect in when the project involves significant grading, drainage design, structural retaining walls, permitting for hardscape, or complex planting on a difficult site. For a straightforward planting refresh with no structural elements, a design-build landscape contractor or certified landscape professional can handle the design at lower cost. Whoever you hire, get the scope in writing — materials, plant sizes and counts, labor, timeline, cleanup and disposal, and warranty on plantings — and tie payments to milestones rather than paying in full upfront. (For more on this, see Hidden Costs of Landscape Design.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Landscape design is a professional fee for the plan, not the cost of building it. A planting or single-bed plan runs $300 to $800, a mid-size property plan $700 to $3,700, and a full-property master plan $3,700 to $11,000 or more. Hourly billing is $70 to $150, and some firms charge 5 to 15 percent of construction cost instead. Installation is quoted separately at $2,000 to $40,000 or more.
$300 to $800 for a single planting plan, $700 to $3,700 for a mid-size property, and $3,700 to $11,000 or more for a full-property master plan, covering site assessment, design drawings, plant selection, and a planting guide. A licensed landscape architect bills $70 to $150 per hour, and $150 to $250 at established high-end firms.
Planting and basic installation runs $2,000 to $15,000, quoted separately from the design fee and including soil prep, planting, and initial mulching. A front-of-house foundation refresh is $2,000 to $5,000; a comprehensive backyard plan with privacy screening, perennial beds, and lawn restoration is $5,000 to $15,000.
$15,000 to $40,000 or more to build, separate from the design fee. Within that, a paver patio runs $3,000 to $15,000, a retaining wall $2,000 to $10,000, and an outdoor kitchen $5,000 to $30,000. High-end projects with premium materials and extensive coverage can exceed $100,000.
Most established landscape architects and designers do, typically $70 to $150 per hour and $150 to $250 at high-end firms, and independents charge from the first meeting. Design-build firms that both design and install often provide a free site consultation along with an installation quote, and many credit part or all of the design fee toward the installation.
Projects involving significant grading, drainage design, structural retaining walls, hardscape permitting, or complex planting on a difficult site. For a straightforward planting refresh with no structural elements, a design-build landscape contractor or certified landscape professional can handle the design at lower cost.
Buy a design plan only, at $300 to $800 for a single planting plan or $700 to $3,700 for a mid-size property, and phase the installation across several seasons. Ask whether the firm credits the design fee toward the build. Doing the soft elements such as planting and mulching yourself cuts cost significantly, and professional installation is best reserved for high-visibility areas like the front entry and patio surround.
Site conditions such as slopes, drainage problems, poor soil, and difficult access; existing conditions, since removing old plantings, trees, or hardscape adds work; plant selection, because specimen-sized plants, rare varieties, and mature trees cost far more than standard nursery stock; and local labor rates, which vary meaningfully by market.